King without a Throne
by Tighn Lwerka
Summary: What if, ultimately, Xehanort never existed? Terra and Aqua set out on a quest given to them by their now former Master after completing their Mark of Mastery Exam but with a boy with a gruge against Terra and Terra's growing darkness added to the mix it's going to be harder then the two expected. AU obviously. Beta'd by MidnightxRose. A bit slow paced at points. No actual OCs.
1. Prolouge

**Now, those who read my stories before and know I quit are probably thinking, 'What is she doing writing another KH Fanfiction?'**

**Well the answer is: Continuing to write ****_Add Title Here_****, now ****_Hiding from the Darkness, Seeking the Past, _****has gotten me into the Kingdom Hearts mood again. It might also have to do with all those Vocaloid songs that I listen to.**

**Now, I've had to add and change some things to make the plot more interesting. Not everything that happens would truly happen but it would probably be boring if I kept strictly to what could really happen.**

**At the end of every few chapters I will take the time to explain a few things. Most of it being things that Xehanort caused/could have caused in canon (though what didn't he cause?) that turned out differently because here he doesn't exist.**

**Sorry if any characters seem terribly OOC but most, or maybe all, of the characters are a bit or a lot different then their canon originals.**

**Now enough of my talking, here's the prologue of what hopefully will be my best Fanfiction ever!**

* * *

Fourteen-year old Eraqus and seventeen-year old Yen Sid looked up at the stars from their lookout point.

It was a quiet and peaceful night. Not a sound could be heard, for the most part. There were a few crickets chirping every now and then, though they weren't making too much noise.

Eraqus suddenly looked at Yen Sid, voicing what he had been thinking about for some time now. "Yen? Do you ever feel like something is missing? But you feel that, in the long run, it's a good thing?" The look on his face was a serious one.

Yen Sid looked at Eraqus as if the younger boy was crazy, and needed to be locked in his room located in the land of sanity. Strangely enough, this was actually true...

"Have you sniffed any strange plants recently, Eraqus?" Yen Sid asked, suddenly worried for him. The last time that happened, the Master hadn't at all been happy with _both _boys.

Eraqus quickly shook his head, mumbling something along the lines of, 'It only happened once.'

Yen Sid laughed and shook his head. "Eraqus, as much as your ridiculous comments make me, and sometimes the Master, laugh, you need to stop thinking them up for the sake of your sanity." In his mind he added "_And for our sanity, too_".

Eraqus frowned and mumbled something, but this time Yen Sid couldn't make it out.

Both boys turned back towards the night sky.

* * *

So many years later, Eraqus laughed a little as he heard sixteen-year old Terra ask fifteen-year old Aqua the almost the exact same question he had asked Yen Sid. The main difference being that, he didn't think in the long run that it was a good thing. But, Terra got a completely different answer back.

"I've been feeling that way too, Terra. I just can't explain it and it bugs me." Aqua had said.

It made Eraqus wonder how he and Yen Sid's conversation could have gone if his old friend had replied with something similar to Aqua's response.

_H__ad there really been something missing from his life when he was young__?__O__r missing from the worlds?_

_Was what seemed to be missing then the same thing that seemed to be missing now? Or was it something totally different?_

* * *

**The actual chapters will be much longer.**

**Can anyone guess what significance the title has to the story? Only two people on earth know it for sure. Me and littlemissmusicdummy are those two.**

**I hope to see you next time.**


	2. Chapter I Four years later

**I now have a beta for this story! Her name is MidnightxRose. She did a great job editing this chapter!**

**I hope this chapter is enjoyed!**

* * *

Aqua stared out her window, looking up at the meteors that were flashing across the sky. She smiled as she thought how great it would be to finally be a Master. She could find her own apprentices and train them like Master Eraqus trained her and Terra. In turn, they would eventually train more people. Eventually there would be many Keyblade Wielders again, like there once was before the legendary Keyblade War.

She looked away from the window as there was a knock heard from her door. She walked over to the door and opened it to see it was Terra.

Aqua smiled again. "Hello Terra."

He smiled back. "Hi Aqua. Um..." He paused for a moment. "I can't sleep. I'm too excited for tomorrow."

"I am too." the bluenette replied, moving out of the way so Terra could enter.

After Terra entered, he sat down on the chair in front of Aqua's desk. "I can't believe its been fifteen years since we started training with Master Eraqus." He said.

Aqua nodded, walking over to her bed and sitting down on the edge. "It seems like it was just yesterday we met."

Terra smiled, remembering the day clearly.

_They had met when he ran away from home. She had been an orphan on the streets and had helped him survive. A bit afterwards__,__ a man who would later become their Master, appeared in town and seemed to be searching for something. They had seen him a lot and eventually__, they__ decided to flip a penny they found__,__ to see who __should__ go talk to him. In the end__,__ Aqua had __been the one chosen__ to talk to him__, while __Terra watched from a distance. __Afterwards, __Aqua had came running over to __her friend,__ telling him about there being other worlds, about the Keyblade__, saying__ that the man __told her__ she had the right heart for a Keyblade__. He __had offered to give her one and train her __to become a Master.__ She __told Terra that she would accept, but only__ if he could prove he was trustworthy and if Terra could too. By the end of the day__,__ they packed what little stuff they had__, __and set off with Eraqus._

He broke out of his thoughts when Aqua started speaking again, "Do you remember all those stories we heard when we were younger?"

Terra nodded. "Yeah. Weren't your favourite ones the ones set during the Keyblade War?"

Aqua smiled as she remembered the tales of the Keyblade War. Her favourite out of all of them was the tale of Kawa, Asu and Taiki. Master Eraqus told her that there was no way that it was true, but she still liked to think that it was real.

"Wasn't your favourite the tale of the star-shaped fruit that grows on Destiny Islands?" She asked, looking at Terra.

He nodded with a smile.

Aqua reached under her pillow and pulled out two star-shaped charms. One was orange and the other was blue.

"Catch. This is for you." Aqua said as she threw the orange one to her friend.

He caught it, but just barely. He held it up in the air by the string and watched as it twirled.

Aqua laughed. "Remember the second part to that tale? About how sailors would make good luck charms in the shape of a star made from sea-shells so they wouldn't get lost at sea? Well, these charms were inspired by that. I didn't have any sea-shells that I could use so I used what was available to me. Hopefully they will give us good luck tomorrow and every day afterwards."

Terra smiled. "Thanks Aqua. I love it. It's even my favourite color." He said as he gripped it in his hand.

"I did that on purpose. I made mine my favourite color too."

The two talked for a bit more before they both decided that it was time that they tried to get to sleep again. They needed their strength for tomorrow and they had a two cup limit on coffee after all.

Before Terra left he asked Aqua one last thing. "What do you think we'll have to do tomorrow?"

Aqua thought for a moment before replying. "I read somewhere that it depends on both the Master and the apprentices. It's really hard to explain in full detail, especially this late."

Terra nodded and said one last goodbye before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Aqua walked back over to her bed and crawled in. She stared at the ceiling, still not able to fall asleep. She then thought of the tale of Kawa, Asu and Taiki again; the actual title being Light, Darkness and Twilight. The story proved that anyone could be friends with anyone, even if it could get you killed. It also proved that there was good in any heart, even one that's clouded in darkness. She told herself part of the story in her head as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

In his room, Terra was still awake. He studied the charm again in the little light there was. He knew there had to be more to it.

He looked away from it for a moment. It took him a few seconds to realize what he had seen in that moment. He looked back to see that nothing was there. He could have sworn that he had seen two bright circles.

"I must be seeing things." He mumbled before putting the charm on the table beside his bed. Maybe if he stopped looking at it, he could get to sleep.

* * *

**Next Chapter: _Mark of Mastery_**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Now, I'm sure by now everyone has figured out that Ventus isn't an apprentice of Eraqus. If hadn't you know now. I'm sure a few people are wondering what part he'll have in the story. The question that should be asked is 'Does he have a part in this story?' You read right.**

**I hope to see everyone next chapter!**


	3. Chapter II

**I would have had this up sooner but I had to write a chapter for another Fanfiction of mine, a Fullmetal Alchemist one. I also had slight writer's block. Then I lost the internet for a few days.**

**Also, I'd like to get it out now that I'm not the best at writing fight scenes or romance. So most of the flight scenes in this story will either suck or not be realistic. And there will not be any romance scenes, though I will probably leave romance hints.**

**I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

* * *

Finally, their day had come. The time for them to become Masters. They were both excited and could barely contain their excitement. The two also had their charms around their necks.

As they ate breakfast and drank some coffee, their minds were, surprisingly, not completely focused on The Mark of Mastery Exam.

Terra's thoughts kept wandering to those circles he had seen last night. He knew he had to have been seeing things but something in the back of his mind kept telling him that he had seen what he thought he saw.

Aqua, on the other hand, had thoughts of the dream she had last night. She remembered walking through a forest, talking with two people who were walking with her. She couldn't remember what they looked like or what their voices sounded like, but she had felt happy. The blunette wondered what kind of meaning the dream had, for she was sure that there was some meaning behind it. Maybe she could find a book on it after the exam.

She picked up her almost empty second cup of coffee, which only had a few sips left and she savoured every bit of it.

* * *

In the place where the Mark of Mastery Exam would take place, Eraqus was sitting in the middle throne. He was waiting for Terra and Aqua to finish their breakfast so they could start the Exam.

It saddened him a little bit that this would be the last Mark of Mastery Exam he would ever hold himself. He was going into retirement afterwards, but he was happy though, that his last apprentices happened to be the best he ever had. Terra and Aqua were his favourites out of all the apprentices before them. They had promised that after they became Masters they would visit him as much as they could. Terra and Aqua were the first to say that to him.

He knew that both Terra and Aqua would pass with flying colors, but he did have some worry about Terra.

His darkness was quite strong, just like Aqua's light was just as strong. The saying "Opposites Attract", applied to them very much.

Suddenly, a Pathway of Light appeared in the middle of the room, and it showed to be Eraqus's old friend, Yen Sid, had walked out of it.

Eraqus smiled and stood up to greet his friend. "Welcome Yen." He greeted as Yen Sid walked over.

Yen Sid smiled, "Hello old friend. So I here you're retiring. About time, I say."

Eraqus laughed a little before saying, "So did you come here just to say that or did you come here to watch?"

Yen Sid's face darkened a little. "I will be staying but I have come here with some bad news."

Eraqus's smile faded. "What is troubling the worlds?"

Yen Sid explained. "Strange creatures that look like a bit like animals, but with more terrifying features of black fur and red eyes, have been attacking people all throughout the worlds. Those who were attacked survived but died later on. It looked to be an accident but it seems too suspicious. I do not know what they are or what their true species name is, but it is best to call them Demonii, as an acquaintance of mine started calling them. Speaking of that," he said before reaching into his robe and pulling out a binder and giving it to Eraqus.

"_Even after all these years that I've known him, some of the things he can do still surprise me_." Eraqus thought before continuing.

"That acquaintance of mine typed up a bunch of notes on all the ones that he's seen and given them individual names. He also included pictures of each one." his old friend before him explained briefly.

Eraqus scanned the contents of the binder. It surprised him quite a bit. How could he have not known about these creatures till now?

"What do you think should be done?" Eraqus asked.

"I was thinking that after Terra and Aqua complete their Exam, you send them out to figure out what exactly these Demonii are and if there is anyone controlling them. I also suggest you give them the binder so they know what they are looking for."

Eraqus nodded.

Then Terra and Aqua entered the room, having finished their breakfast.

"Looks like it's time to start the Mark of Mastery."

* * *

Eraqus looked down at his two apprentices.

Yen Sid had taken a seat in the throne on the right after briefly saying hello to the two apprentices, who had been happy to see him.

"Terra, Aqua, today is the day you might just become Masters. You have both trained hard all these years and you have finally learned all that I can teach you. You both have the chance and are on equal grounds with each other and with me." Eraqus began.

Terra and Aqua smiled, both of them wanting to say that it was because they had such a great Master, but they knew that they had to be quiet, for it was a tradition that went along with the Mark of Mastery Exam.

Eraqus continued. "Now, because of that, I have decided that your exam will be different from the exams that all my previous apprentices had."

Terra, Aqua and even Yen Sid were surprised at this.

"Now, let's start!"

* * *

**Next Chapter: ?**

**Another short chapter. Though I find that I like to write short chapters. They're also easier to read in one sitting and it takes less time.**

**The Demonii are of my own creation. They are actually going to be in a novel that I'm going to write one day. So no stealing them. The Pathways of Light are pretty much the opposite of what the Organization uses in the games. Those I would be fine with people using. ****Though I'm pretty sure I'm not first to use something of the sort.**

**I hope to see you next chapter! Hopefully that's when the plot really starts rolling.**


	4. Chapter III

**Sorry I took so long to update. I was busy with my other new KH Fanfiction and school. In truth, I had this written up for a while now but I only just remembered to send it to my beta and then post it.**

**I'm glad people seem to like this story, though the lack of reviews worries me just a little bit. But I guess you readers are waiting to see how it turns out. Just so you know I'm not review hungry like I used to be but I still like to get them. Seeing even one motivates me a bit more.**

**This chapter focuses more on Yen Sid.**

**Also, I've decided that I should do a disclaimer.**

_**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any other thing made by somebody else that might appear later in the story. Though I do own the plot and Asu, Kawa and Taiki. If I did own KH the plot would probably be a lot different and there would be at least one confirmed pairing. (I mean really, would they just confirm a pairing already? I'll take anything! Be it Het, Yaoi, Yuri or a threesome!)**_

**And now I bring you the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

There was silence.

"Eraqus, how could they do anything without being told what to do?" Yen Sid asked.

Eraqus coughed. "I'm sorry. I'll explain more."

Eraqus began to elaborate a little more, "With all my other apprentices, I sent them to a world where they would have to fight numerous monsters and creatures that resided there, like my Master did with Yen Sid and I. But seeing as I've come to care for you like you were my children, or rather, grandchildren, considering my age; I worried that something would happen to you both and in result, unable to return."

Terra and Aqua were both happy and thankful at Eraqus's words.

And he continued, "Your Mark of Mastery will consist of trials that will judge your fighting skills, a demonstration of your magic, and then, a written test."

The young apprentices wanted to groan at the last part mentioned, but they refrained themselves, for it would show disrespect to their Master.

"For the first part, you will fight each other."

The two Masters-To-Be nodded before summoning their Keyblades and facing each other.

"Now, start!"

* * *

Yen Sid watched as Terra and Aqua fought.

The two had changed so much since he had met them.

* * *

_Yen __Sid looked at the two young children__ that were new apprentices of Eraqus, apparently__. Eraqus had left them with him so he could get everything ready__;__ as if Yen Sid had anything for them._

_He wondered why Eraqus had decided to start training them so young. Before __these two__, Eraqus's last youngest apprentice had been sixteen._

_He also wondered why the two trusted Eraqus so much__, since his __appearance normally scared young children._

_Eraqus had __explained __that they were children he found living on __the __street__s,__ and that the girl could have been considered __one of__ the Princess__es__ of Heart of the world__,__but__ it wasn't for the fact that the world the two were from were one of those rare worlds that never had one. _

_Yen Sid was unaware of their names, what with his friend not providing that, so he asked them._

"_What are your names young apprentices?"_

_The girl smiled while the boy frowned. _

"_My name's Aqua!" The __blue-haired girl stated__ cheerfully and still with a smile._

"_I'm__Terra.__..__" The __young brunette boy__ look__ed__ down._

_Yen Sid smiled. "Those are very nice names." _

"_But don't you think my name is weird? It's a girls name!" Terra __exclaimed, looking up__._

_Yen Sid shook his head. "It's your name__, and__ a very good one at that. You are one of the ones who actually have a good name."_

_The two children were shocked. "Someone can have a bad name?" They asked together._

_He__ nodded __but he mentioned to the young apprentices that he wouldn't go into details about the matter__._

_A little bit later__,__ Eraqus came back and took them but before __leaving,__ they cheerfully said goodbye to Yen Sid._

_Yen Sid sure hoped that Eraqus could deal with two children apprentices. He wouldn't just have to train them, but he would also have to deal with the trials of raising them._

* * *

Yen Sid noticed that the fight had ended. Aqua had Terra pinned to the ground with one of her feet on his chest.

Eraqus was clapping.

"That was a wonderful fight. Now Aqua, would you please take your foot off of Terra's stomach so we can continue?"

Aqua laughed before doing as she was told.

Yen Sid also stifled a laugh. Suddenly he found his gaze wandering towards the large circular window.

A look of shock appeared on his face but the three others in the room didn't notice because Eraqus was currently explaining what they would have to do for the magic part of their exam.

Eraqus mentioned that it would take place outside but Yen Sid told him he would be staying inside. Eraqus didn't dare question him.

After the three had made it outside, he made a motion with his hand.

* * *

That night, Terra and Aqua sat on the cliff watching the stars.

"I can't believe that tomorrow we'll be out there, travelling the worlds!" Terra said with a smile.

"You do remember we'll also have a quest we'll have to complete too." Aqua mentioned.

Terra nodded. He was ready for anything at this point.

They had done it. They had become Masters!

And it really hadn't been that hard. Well, the written part was a killer, but they managed it.

After they had celebrated becoming Masters, Master Eraqus had told them of a quest that they would be going on. He also mentioned to them that he would tell them the details tomorrow, after they had a full night of sleep after such a tiring day.

For some reason Aqua felt as if someone was watching them but she knew that Master Eraqus had gone to bed already and Yen Sid had left a long time ago. It was impossible for the feeling to be true. Right? Right?!

* * *

**I like this chapter the best out of all of the other chapters. I don't think anyone can guess why.**

**Also, before you know really anything about them, which pairing appeals more:**

_**AsuXKawa**_

_**AsuXTaiki**_

_**TaikiXKawa**_

_**TaikiXKawaXAsu**_

**I'm surprised no one has tried to guess the meaning behind the title or even asked. With the three people I've told I was the one who asked if they wanted to know about the meaning. **

**Seeing as it doesn't seem fair that they know it but no one else does I've decided to tell the ones who are reading this author's note the meaning behind it.**

**KINGdom hearts WITHOUT xEHANORT. EHANORT being an anagram of A THRONE.**

**Isn't it smart and creative and a bit obvious when thought about a little bit?**

**Bye! **


	5. Chapter IV

**I see no one seemed to be surprised at the secret behind the title or answered my question about the pairings. Did everyone already figure the meaning behind the title beforehand? Or does everybody skip the author's notes like my friend XionLovesViolets? Well, I know at least _one_ person read the author's note..**

**Well, here's the next chapter... **

* * *

It was the next day and the two Masters had gotten a full night of sleep, surprisingly.

The two were found eating breakfast and drinking their coffee.

They were excited about the quest that their now former Master was going to give them, and couldn't wait to start it.

The two quickly finished their breakfast and coffee, washing their discarded dishes in a quick manner.

"So Terra, what do you think the mission is going to be about?" Aqua asked.

Terra shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe protecting The Princesses of Heart? Or maybe tracking down a friend of his." He replied.

Aqua laughed. "Technically you did have a few ideas."

Terra nodded, smiling. She was right after all.

* * *

Terra and Aqua revisited the same place that they had taken the fighting part of their Mark of Mastery Exam and stood at around the same place that they had been standing in the day before.

Eraqus was seen sitting in the middle throne, talking with Yen Sid, who had arrived early in the morning. Yen Sid was, again, sitting in the right throne.

"Ah, Terra, Aqua. We were wondering when you would be coming." Eraqus said after ending his conversation with Yen Sid, looking over at the new Masters. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering what your quest from me is." He said with a smile.

Terra and Aqua gave quick nods, eager to know.

"I was originally going to explain it myself but recent events have made me decide that it is best that Yen Sid's acquaintance explains." Eraqus continued before motioning towards the throne to the left.

The young Masters hadn't noticed until now, that there was someone sitting in the throne.

The person looked quite young, with long golden blond hair that reached their waist, which made it hard to determine what gender the person was. They weren't even paying attention and didn't even notice that all eyes were focused on the stranger, who had been busy drawing.

"Wayward, or whatever name you're going by at the moment!" Yen Sid said.

The unidentified person automatically looked up, looking around in shock.

Aqua and Terra could now see that he had beautiful blue eyes.

The person then blinked a few times before smacking himself on the face. "Right, I'm sorry."

Unless the person was a female with a deep voice, the two now knew that the person was in fact male.

He stood up and placed his pencil and sketch book down on the cushion of the throne before walking in front of the middle throne.

His figure looked thin, wearing a shirt that was black on the right side and off-white on the left, trimmed with red over top a pure white skin tight shirt that reached half-way to his knees, a long black jacket over top of both along with dark grey pants, and black with red bottom boots that reached almost to his knees. Found on his arms were black and white checkered wrist bands.

He let out a sigh. "I want to keep this short, seeing as I hate having to be in these clothes."

Aqua couldn't understand why this kid would be telling them what their former Master should be telling them. Terra just wanted to find out what the quest was. He would have preferred it if it was Eraqus who told them, but this kid would do.

The boy let out another sigh. "So basically, there are these creature called Demonii attacking people all throughout the worlds and while all of them survived the attacks, they all later died from other things. Even if it's just bad luck and these creatures have nothing to do with their victim's deaths, they are still attacking people. My acquaintance, Yen Sid, asked your Master to send you on a quest to find out where these creatures come from and if there is someone who is controlling them." He explained.

Eraqus then stood up and handed him the binder.

He smirked before jumping off the edge and doing a double flip before landing right in front of Terra and Aqua, who were both impressed and surprised.

He then handed Aqua the binder.

"Read this and you will know all the information that has been collected on the Demonii." He said with a smile before turning around, jumping up to the thrones, grabbing his sketch pad and walking over to Yen Sid.

"I want my stuff." the boy said after taking his things.

Yen Sid sighed and grabbed the backpack that was beside the throne. He then gave it to the boy, who opened the bag and then put his sketch pad and pencil inside. Afterwards, he closed it and grabbed the handle on the top.

When he was sure he had all his stuff and ready to go, he jumped down and walked away from everyone.

"I hope you don't mind if I raid your kitchen. Even if you do I don't care because I haven't eaten in a few days." the others heard him say bitterly as he walked away.

Everyone but Yen Sid was staring at him with a look of surprise in their eyes. Yen Sid was just shaking his head.

"Oh and I'm going by Kye at the moment. It might change soon but that's what it is right now." He called before leaving the room.

Aqua, Terra and Eraqus all looked at Yen Sid, who just sighed. "If you think how he's acting now is bad or surprising, you should see him when he doesn't get his way."

"So...who is he exactly and what was up with his flips?" Terra asked slowly.

"That is for him to tell you himself. But first, try and see if you can get him on his good side. Maybe then you can ask. Though, like Eraqus said, he is an acquaintance of mine." Yen Sid replied.

Before either Aqua or Terra could say anything else, Eraqus starting speaking again.

"Do what the boy said. Read the contents of the binder and then report back to me."

Aqua and Terra nodded,taking a closer look at the binder.

No wonder it felt heavy. It was amazing that the boy had been able to do those flips while holding onto the binder.

Actually, it was strictly amazing period that he had been able to do those flips. Aqua hadn't even sensed any magic being used.

"This is going to take hours..." Terra complained.

* * *

After Terra and Aqua left, Yen Sid and Eraqus started their conversation again.

"So what were you saying before they came in?" Eraqus asked.

"That doesn't matter at the moment now. Right now, I feel the need to ask a favour of you." Yen Sid replied with a frown.

"And what is this favour you want to ask me?"

"It's about...Kye. I was wondering if you could allow him to go along on your former apprentices' journey. He doesn't really socialize much because most people avoid him and he avoids the ones who don't avoid him. I believe his lack of friends is what causes him to act the way he does. He's also the one who wrote every word in that binder and he never forgets anything that he writes. Just in case the two forget something, which I know will happen, and that information is needed, he would be able to tell them what they've forgotten."

Eraqus thought this over before nodding. "It probably would be good for him. And probably good for Aqua and Terra too. Though what does he use as a weapon or a way to protect himself?"

Yen Sid smiled a bit. "Despite the fact that he looks really thin and weak he is quite strong. He uses pretty much every part of his body that he can to defend himself. There have also been times I've seen him wielding a dagger, sometimes backwards. He is also quite good at using a kind of Alchemy from a world that's name escapes me at the moment."

Eraqus smiled. "As long as it's alright with him and my former apprentices, he can go along with them. But he should cut his hair beforehand."

"Sadly, the chances of him cutting his hair are as unlikely as him going by his real name."

* * *

**The next chapter should be up in a few days or so. It's already written and edited.**

**Tighn Lwerka out!**


	6. Chapter V

**Seriously, what's up with the lack of responce to this story? I had well over thirty people reading last chapter and not one bothered to at least let me know that they liked the story. **

**Warnings: Slight mentions of abuse later in the chapter.**

* * *

It took them many hours to read and look at everything in the binder and take all the information in, both of them getting a huge headache afterwards.

"I will hunt down whoever wrote all this and I will slap them across the face, maybe break their fingers." Terra said, holding his head in pain.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Aqua said in turn, also holding her head. But Terra just shook his head.

It was currently late afternoon and the two Masters were starving, which only made their headaches worse.

"How is it possible that the Master didn't know of these Demonii until now?" Aqua asked.

"Maybe he did know about them, but just never saw them as a threat until now." Terra replied with a frown.

"Maybe...but with what they are doing, I'm sure he would have seen them as a threat as soon as he heard of them."

Terra didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject to something completely unrelated but still necessary to ask.

"Can we go get something to eat?"

* * *

Aqua and Terra finally made their way to the kitchen.

When they got there they saw the blonde boy, Kye, sitting at the table, who appeared to be drawing.

There were colored pencils, crayons, eraser pieces, pencil shavings and a few stray lead pieces all over the area where he was sitting.

He was now only in his shirt and pants with his hair tied in a pony tail.

Terra really wanted to know why he was still here but Aqua saw it as a chance to ask him a few questions and maybe get to know him.

He looked up right after they entered the kitchen. "So, did you finish reading everything?" He asked in what was obviously a fake curious tone.

"Every single flippin' word." Terra replied back in an annoyed tone before walking over to the cupboards. Aqua just sighed.

Kye laughed a fake laugh before looking back at his sketchpad and starting to draw again.

The bluenette was curious as to who this boy really was and what was up with him. There was something off about him...

She sighed again before following Terra.

It took a few minutes to find something to eat because apparently Kye wasn't kidding when he said he was going to raid the kitchen.

The two sat down at the table and they each had a small plate of sandwiches.

Terra started eating his sandwiches fast and right away while trying not to look at Kye. He suspected that Kye was the one who had written the stuff in the binder.

Aqua on the other hand took small and slow bites, occasionally looking over at Kye. She had been sitting in the chair across from his, after all.

She finally decided to attempt to start a conversation with him.

"What are you drawing?" She asked.

He stopped drawing and looked up at her. "Why are you asking?" He asked.

"I thought it would be nice to ask." Aqua replied, not knowing what else to say.

Aqua could have sworn she saw a small smile appear on his face for a second before it quickly disappeared.

Kye held up the drawing pad. "Guess." He simply said.

It was well drawn that's for sure. It was a drawing of a person in his late teens. He had short black hair with dark purple streaks in it and dark, dark blue, almost black eyes. He was wearing the clothing an apprentice of the Keyblade would have worn back in the days before the Keyblade Wars.

Aqua couldn't figure out who it was so she gave in and asked.

"You're not going to believe this but this is a drawing of Yen Sid when he was young." Kye replied with smirk.

Aqua and Terra, who had looked over at the drawing and tried processing his words, were shocked.

"No way!" Terra exclaimed.

Kye smirked more. "Way. I've seen pictures."

"They had cameras back in the time that Master Yen Sid was young?" the still shocked brunette asked.

Kye laughed again but this time it didn't sound fake. He then placed the drawing pad back down on the table.

"Of course! Doesn't your Master teach you anything? The original world was quite advanced in most places before it split apart. I knew that and I'm not even a Keyblade Wielder! Granted, I do have mostly Yen Sid to thank for the information I know." Kye explained.

There was silence before Aqua and Terra said together, "Master Yen Sid lived in the original world?"

"He did, he was just beginning his Keyblade training when the Keyblade Wars began. His training was put on hold for a while before he was able to find a new Master because his old one was killed in the Keyblade Wars. It was also made hard by the fact that the original world had just split into the worlds that exist today. That's how he met your Master." Kye replied.

"Why do you know so much more than we do?" Aqua asked.

Kye smiled."Well, Yen Sid tells me things. He finds me trustworthy and also gave me some journals written by three people during the Keyblade Wars. Course that was for one of the writing challenges he gives me sometimes. I have to say that was my favorite writing challenge."

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

"Seeing as I don't know which you're referring too, I'll explain both. Along with being a good artist, I'm a pretty good writer. Yen Sid always gives me either short passages or in the case of my favorite one, multiple long journals and I have to write a novel based on it. Due to my amazing writing speed, I can get an entire novel done in a week tops and that's with taking a few breaks here and there. And to explain the other thing I said, Yen Sid was in possession of the journals of three people known as Asu, Kawa and Taiki. I don't expect that you know who those people are though." Kye said, not giving any chances for the two other people in the room to speak till the end.

"Of course we know who Asu, Kawa and Taiki were! Yen Sid told us the story of them when Terra and I were younger! It was my favourite story." Aqua exclaimed happily. She was right! The story really was true!

Terra laughed a little at the way his blue haired friend was acting.

"Well, if you were told the story when you were children, Yen Sid must have told you an abridged, child-safe version. I'm sure you don't even know what they look like."

Aqua and Terra shook their heads.

"Well once I get my bag back from Yen Sid, seeing as he took it again because I ate too much of your food, I'll show you guys the novel I wrote based on their journals. The novel also has a picture of the three on the cover."

Before either could reply, Eraqus and Yen Sid entered the kitchen. Yen Sid was carrying Kye's bag.

"I see you three are getting to know each other." Eraqus said with a smile.

"Sorta." Terra said, Aqua and Kye nodded.

"Can I have my bag back?" Kye asked.

Yen Sid sighed and threw the bag at Kye, who caught it. He had a really big smile on his face.

"Now, it's time to discuss something." Eraqus said.

* * *

"You think he should come with us!?" Terra yelled.

"Like I said, it would be good for all three of you." Eraqus replied.

"I don't want to be taking care of some kid and I don't think Aqua would want to either!" Terra yelled back.

Aqua and Kye had stayed silent through most of it. They were both thinking that it was disrespectful to yell at your Master, even if he wasn't his Master anymore.

Kye spoke up at Terra's comment.

"I don't need taking care of, I can take care of myself! I've been doing it for as long as I can remember! And I'm not a kid, I'm fourteen." He exclaimed angrily. Only Aqua and maybe Yen Sid noticed the pained look in his eyes as he said that. The look disappeared quite quickly though.

Terra, who had looked over at Kye during his outburst, looked back over at Eraqus. "The fact remains that I don't want him to come with us. He'll be too much of a burden. And I bet he can't do anything other then draw, write and do fancy flips. He'd be useless if we got into a fight! And he's probably some kid who ran away from his home for no reason."

Next thing Terra knew he was on the ground and in pain. He managed to see Kye run out of the kitchen, but only barely because Kye was running quite fast.

The three remaining people in the room went over to him and helped him up. Aqua cast cure on him and he felt much better.

"One of the many things that a person needs to know when they know Kye is to never call him weak or imply that he is weak. He is pretty much the exact opposite of what you said." Yen Sid said.

"Suddenly, I can believe it." Terra mumbled, now able to stand on his own. "I can now tell that he's definitely strong. Seeing as he kicked or punched me to the ground so easily."

The three let go of him but not before Aqua mumbled, "I was able to beat you so he might not be as strong as you think."

Aqua then walked away. "I'm going to go talk to him. I think he trusts me more, especially after what just happened." She said before she left the kitchen.

She searched around for a while but she could not find Kye anywhere in the castle, so she decided to go look outside.

Suddenly she heard singing.

"_High above you all is where I spend most of the time of my days. You cheer for me. You love my amazing tricks. And I'm happy that you do. I can do things that many cannot and that makes my special, just like all the others. It's not magic that you see here today."_

Aqua followed the singing.

"_But when my act ends and you all leave I'm suddenly not happy anymore. The height suddenly scares me and I feel like like I'm going to fall, even though I'm now on the ground."_

Aqua finally saw Kye. He was sitting on the cliffs where she and Terra would watch the stars, like she thought he was the one singing. What was the song about exactly?

She watched from a distance as he continued his song.

"_I'm forever on the ground when you're not paying to see me. The ring master is cruel. He just laughs as the blood and tears run down our faces."_

What?!

"_He tells us that we are just circus monsters that could be replaced like magic."_

He stopped singing for a few seconds, probably noticing that Aqua was there, but he didn't seem to care because he continued to sing.

"_We agree with him. We're worthless. We live to preform. But then less and less of you started coming because all the acts were getting old. He says that it's really because we're getting old. But the oldest of us is only ten But he doesn't care. He doesn't let us go like we'd like him to. He just makes us make our acts harder."_

Now Aqua knew exactly what the song meant. From the sounds of it, it was true and it had happened to Kye. She was clenching her fists.

"_I'm forever on the ground when you're not paying to see me. The ring master is cruel. He just laughs as the blood and tears run down our faces."_

Aqua guessed that was the chorus of the song or the main message of it.

"_I'm forced to do my acts up higher, faster and longer. You all love it. But you don't notice how times I almost fell. How many times I almost died. How many times I wished I had fallen."_

A small smile appeared on his face.

"_But one day I did fall. You all screamed while I just smiled softly. I told myself a long time ago that I would do anything to get away from this pain. Someone so young shouldn't be thinking these kinds of thoughts. But someone so young shouldn't have to go through this."_

The smile became a bit bigger.

"_But I survived the fall from up above. But the ring master didn't. You were all silent with shock when I got off the bloody mess that was once the ring master without anything broken or scratched."_

Kye let out a laugh.

"_I looked at all of you with the biggest smile I could do at the moment and said loudly so you could all hear 'I truly am a circus monster!'" _

He then broke down crying. So loudly that Aqua was sure that Terra, Eraqus and Yen Sid could hear him too.

Without saying anything she walked over to him and hugged him. This went on for a little bit before he cried himself to sleep.

Aqua didn't bother trying to pick him up and carrying him back inside, she didn't want to wake him so she stayed there on the rocks.

The bluenette knew that they would come looking for them soon, but she really didn't care.

Kye looked like he needed some sleep anyway.

* * *

**I surprised that this chapter is so long.**

**I had to make up Young Yen Sid's appearance because I don't know what it is. I also forgot the color of his eyes so I had to make that up too. I don't think it seems to fit him though. Oh well.**

**The song Kye sang is original but it was inspired by a song called Circus Monster. It's a Vocaloid song.**

**Now would people review please? It doesn't have to be long. Even one word would do!**


	7. Chapter VI

**I'm not going to bother asking for reviews anymore. I see no point in it anymore.**

**This chapter is unedited at the moment.**

**This chapter and all the chapters before it were written before I started playing DDD. **

**I know that Kye seems a bit like a Gary-Stu but I can't help coming up with all these things about him. Maybe I should have gone along with my original idea for him...**

**Well here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Kye's Dream_

_A young Kye, probably only eight, stood in font of a grave stone. _

_He knelled in front of it, bowed his head and then began to cry._

"_Hi. I'm sorry I took so long to come see you again. But I have an excuse. I was kidnapped by a crazy ringmaster shortly after I last came to visit you. He forced me to preform in this circus of his. It was horrible. You remember how I was able to jump so high, how I had perfect balance and more control over my body movements then the average kid my age ? Well he forced me to combine those all together. When I was in that circus he made me do flips, hand and head stands and a whole bunch of other things, on a high wire."_

_He started to cry more. "All the other people in that circus were young too. The oldest was only ten. The youngest was four."_

"_The ringmaster was abusive to ever one in the circus. He also called us monsters. Circus monsters to be exact. I hated almost every moment of my time there. Yes, I said almost. I sort of enjoyed preforming for the crowds of people. I also enjoyed meeting Lea and Isa, who were also apart of the circus. They were only about a year older then me. I haven't seen them since the few days after the circus was closed because the ringmaster had...died. I left the world when I found this strange glowing thing that transported me to this world where one country of the world used Alchemy similar to the kind you used when you were alive. I stayed their for a year, in which I learned their style of Alchemy, until the glowing thing sent me right in front of Yen Sid's tower." He then smiled a little but still cried some._

"_Yen Sid treated me really nicely. He told me the strange glowing thing was actually a Star-shard, which transports a person to different worlds but is almost impossible to control. He cast a spell on me that gave me all the information I should have learned in school by now and more. I'm quite smart now. He's letting me stay with him for a little bit but I'm not going to stay with him for that long. But I will visit him every once in awhile. I want to see all the worlds that I can. But I wanted to see you first." He then placed the white flower that was in his hand on the soil in front of the grave._

"_Goodbye mum. I hope I can come see you soon."_

* * *

It had been about ten minutes since Kye fell asleep.

Aqua sighed, almost wishing she had decided to carry him back to the castle after he fell asleep instead of waiting for him to wake up. But she knew she had done the right thing by staying and waiting.

She had been looking at the sky for most of the time but she got bored of that eventually.

She looked down Kye, who was still sleeping against her. He looked so much like a girl that it was almost disturbing.

His blond hair was longer then any other boy she had ever seen in her life. She hadn't seen a boy with hair the length of Kye's even in anime and manga!

There was also the fact that the shirt he was wearing looked a lot like a dress.

_Maybe it is. _A voice in the fact of her mind 'said'.

"Maybe..." She then shook her head in a attempt to clear her thoughts.

"I need to think of something else so I don't end up thinking something bad about all these things about him."

Kye started to show signs of waking up about five minutes later but he didn't actually wake up for another five minutes after that.

Kye manged to get himself into a sitting position.

Aqua watched to see what he would do.

He rubbed his eyes a little before he suddenly stopped and twitched. He turned his head to look at Aqua, a noticeable blush on his face.

"Umm..." He said scratching the back of his head.

"You don't have to say a word. I may not know the full story but I have the basic idea as to what happened. I do not want to know the full story." Aqua said in calm voice.

Kye smiled a little. "Just don't mention this to anyone else. Yen Sid doesn't even know the full story."

Aqua nodded before standing up. "We should get back inside. We've been gone for awhile."

"I agree." Kye said before he to stood up but not before grabbing his bag, which he had brought with him when he ran away.

They didn't speak for most of the way back. But as they neared the doors Kye spoke.

"Your kinda remind me of Kawa, expect your a Keyblade Wielder of Light."

Aqua stopped walking. Kye did the same.

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked confused. Wasn't Kawa the Keyblade Wielder of Light?

Kye frowned. "When Yen Sid told you the tale of Asu, Kawa and Taiki, did he have Kawa the Keyblade Wielder of Light and Asu the Keyblade Wielder of Darkness?" He asked looking up at Aqua.

Aqua nodded. "So that isn't the truth?"

Kye shook his head. "Can you tell me the version that Yen Sid told you?"

And so Aqua did, though it took ten minutes to do so.

After she finished, Kye pointed out the largest change that Yen Sid made.

"Yen Sid appears to have switched Kawa and Asu's rolls around."

Before Aqua could reply, Kye opened up his bag, reached his whole arm in, despite the bag being smaller then his arm, and when he pulled his arm out he was holding a novel.

He then handed it to her. "I believe you're old enough to read the true story. Seeing as you seem to be in your adult years or at least nearing them."

Aqua looked at the cover. It had three people on it.

The one on the right was a woman with straight dark purple and dark blue hair that reached just past her shoulders. She had light green eyes and a smirk on her face. She was dressed in the kind of clothing a Keyblade Master of Darkness would have worn in the time of the Keyblade Wars. The clothing was purple and blue. She had a gold Keyblade Master symbol on the necklace on her neck. She was holding a Keyblade that looked like it was a Keyblade of Darkness.

The one on the left was a man with brownish red hair tied back in a small pony-tail. He had dark brown eyes and a frown on his face. He was dressed in the clothing a Keyblade Master of Light would have worn back in the time of the Keyblade Wars. His clothing was red-brown and dark orange. He had a silver Keyblade Master symbol on his belt. He had a Keyblade that looked like it was a Keyblade of Light

Unlike the two standing on each side of him, the one in the middle was just a kid, probably no older then twelve. He had white-blond hair that reached his chin and curled a bit at the back. His bangs framed his face perfectly. He had a white bandage style eye-patch over his left eye but his right eye was periwinkle. He had a big grin on his face. He was wearing a simple T-shirt, which was off-white trimmed with black, gray shorts that reached his knees and dirty white sneakers. He was also holding onto both of the Keyblades of his companions.

"Come on, lets get going. You can read the book later." Kye said before he started to walk again.

Aqua moved the book away from her view and did the same.

* * *

"I don't know about Terra, but I'd be fine with Kye coming us." Aqua said with a smile.

They were now all sitting in the living area.

Eraqus and Yen Sid were sitting on the couch across from the couch where both Aqua and Kye sat. Terra was by himself, sitting on one of the chairs. Terra was currently holding a clothing to his bleeding and once broken nose. The cure that was cast on him may have fixed his nose but it didn't stop the bleeding. As to why his nose was broken in the first place...well, let's just say Kye isn't forgiving him for his comment about him any time soon.

"I'm fine with going with them. Well, maybe not Terra but Aqua I'm be perfectly fine with." Kye said, also with a smile.

Kye and Aqua then looked towards Terra.

He frowned before saying. "I guess he can come. It doesn't even seem like I have say in it anyway." He said. Well, that's what they guessed he had said. His words were a bit miss-pronounced due to the cloth over his nose.

"So it's agreed. Kye is joining you two on your journey."

* * *

Yen Sid had decided that Terra and Aqua needed new magical cloths. And the two agreed that he had a horrible sense of style. But it could have been worse. He could have not changed the clothing the amount of times that they had asked him too.

Terra was now wearing a shirt that looked almost identical to the one he wore normally, but it was brown colored. He still had the red straps with his gold Keyblade Master symbol on it. He was also wearing a pair of dark gray jogging pants and boots that matched his shirt. He really didn't like it but it was better then what he could have been forced to wear.

Aqua had lucked out a bit. She was now wearing a sleeve-less and neck-less dark blue shirt with small, slightly lighter blue, stars patterns all over it that showed off just a bit of her stomach. She had a light blue vest with a hood over top of it that had her silver Keyblade Master symbol on it. She was also wearing shorts that matched her shirt. On her arms, she had light purple arm bands. On her feet she had simple light blue flat bottomed sandals. It was the closest she could get to being barefoot. She liked being barefoot.

When Terra saw Aqua in those cloths he couldn't help but drool. He got a slap to the face for that.

The two waited for Kye in the living room. He had decided to go have a shower before Yen Sid gave him some new cloths.

They started playing the card gave War, and Terra was winning which is a surprise seeing as he normally sucked at card games, when Kye finally stepped into the room.

Terra's jaw dropped and Aqua let out a small gasp.

Kye was wearing a black shirt with a pure white vest with a red collar that reached just above his waist over top of it and over that he had a black jacket with a hood that reached a bit farther then the vest. The jacket also had pull cords just in case he wanted to tighten the hood. His pants started out as black at the top but they became a dark gray for most of the rest of it but ended with a black part then white at the end. He had large shoes that were black on top, dark gray on the sides and had light gray bottoms and red straps. On his hands he had black finger-less gloves with small, almost unnoticeable red stripes and metal on the knuckles. He had a black wrist band on his right wrist and a white wrist band on his left wrist. He also had a black fabric ring on his left middle finger and and a white fabric ring on his right middle finger. And, strangely, he had what appeared to be a black cat collar around his neck.

But what shocked them was that Kye's once perfectly straight and smooth hair was now completely spiky and messy. It also looked just a bit shorter. But only a little bit.

"What happened to your hair?" Terra asked.

"This how it looks when I just let it air dry and don't brush it at all or put any hair products in it." He replied, walking over and sitting beside Aqua.

"Your clothing looks a bit complex." Aqua commented, not bothering to question what he had just said.

"It was the only combination that looked good. Yen Sid sucks at style."

"Something we can all agree on."

After Terra's comment they fell into an awkward silence, the card game forgotten.

It stayed like this for a while.

It didn't take long before Aqua got bored of doing nothing. She wanted to break the silence but she didn't know what to say.

She decided that this seemed like the perfect time to start reading the book. She had kept the book with her the whole time.

She looked at the cover again. 'So this is what they really looked like or was Kye just guessing?' She wondered.

Terra had noticed the book by now and was the one to break the silence.

"What's that book?" He asked.

Aqua showed him the cover. "It's the book that Kye mentioned. I was just about to start reading it." Aqua replied.

"What's up with that eye patch that the kid in the middle has?"

Kye, who had been watching with a slight smile on his face, replied.

"According to the reports, TAIKI was blind in that eye or he could possibly have been missing it, due to an accident when he was younger. It never said exactly what the accident was though."

Terra didn't say anything in reply to that and so the awkward silence came back.

Aqua just shook her head and turned to the first page of the book.

* * *

**Next chapter they should be leaving The Land of Departure finally!**

**There are going probably going to be a few running gags in this story. But I won't mention what they are. I'll just let you figure them out as the story progresses.**

**Also would anybody be willing to make a comic based on this Fanfiction for me later on? I know it's to much to ask for but I do hope that someone would at least be willing to. I would make the script for it if someone did want to do it. **


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